Edward Dorsey was born about 1749 in Maryland, the son of Edward (IV) Dorsey and Deborah _____. He died before 19 Feb 1825 in Washington County, Kentucky.[1]

He was married to Sarah Cumming about 1775 in Maryland.

Sarah Cumming was born about 1754, also in Maryland, the daughter of William Cumming and Sarah Coppage.[2] She died after 1811 in Washington Co KY.

On 18 Nov 1812, he second married Ann MOODY in Washington Co KY. Born ca 1781 in Berkeley Co VA, Ann was the daughter of Benjamin Moody and the widow of Elijah Boyd.

The DAR previously accepted that Edward’s father, another Edward Dorsey, was the Edward Dorsey who signed an Oath of Allegiance in 1778 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Their research sites now reject two of the three previously approved Edward Dorseys in Maryland. Further data is required to establish which is which, and which if any are this man’s father or even this man himself.

The first Edward Dorsey was identified in a very early DAR application as born 1759 in MD, married Ruth Warfield, served in Lt James Brice’s Unit as a Private. It is now known that the Edward who married Ruth Warfield was born ca 1776 and cannot have served. So who served in this unit? The DAR website says to “treat as a new ancestor,” which I understand to mean a lineage to this man may be accepted, but not to the man who married Ruth Warfield.

The second Edward Dorsey in the DAR Patriot Index was born 25 Oct 1728 and provided provisions for the State of Maryland on Jan 14 1788 in Anne Arundel Co MD. His wife was Elizabeth Gillis, and they resided in Ellicott’s Mills, Anne Arundel Co MD. He was a second cousin once removed of our Edward (IV) Dorsey.

The third Edward was our Edward (IV) Dorsey. The DAR website states, “Future applicants must provide correct service.” Our Edward was not in Anne Arundel Co, so someone else must have signed the oath, they say.

In 1790, there were four Edward Dorseys in Maryland, three in Anne Arundel Co and, possibly, ours in Frederick Co MD:[3] 4/6/3/0/10.[4] In 1800 there was still an Edward Dorsey in Liberty Twp, Frederick Co MD, 00511/00011. Both of these men had numerous sons or other males in their households.

Our Edward Dorsey is listed in the “Second Census of Kentucky,” based on tax lists for Washington County.[5] In 1810, he was in Washington Co KY, p 950, Edward Dorsey: 00101/21011; the unmarried son was Robert, and as a widow with three daughters, Deborah may have been living her parents. Sarah Dorsey died in 1811. And in 1820, Edward is not listed with any of his three married sons nor with his daughter, Ann Geoghegan.

After his death in 1825, a deed was signed in Washington Co KY by his surviving children. This is the clear evidence of his heirs and ties him to William Cumming Dorsey, who had married and stayed in Somerset Co PA, instead of continuing on to Kentucky before 1800.

Harry Wright Newman, Anne Arundel Gentry, 1933, p 89, made the unfortunate statement that “Edward Dorsey married Sarah, dau. of William and Sarah (Coppage) Cummings [sic], removed from MD and d.s.p.”[6] Although this is demonstrably not true, some have continued to deny Edward and his descendants their place in the Dorsey family.

DNA studies include males descended from William Cumming Dorsey and from his brother Richard Dorsey of KY. The conclusions of the study to date include these statements about Lineage I:

1. The first five members of Lineage I are well documented descendants of the colonial American Immigrant Edward Darcy/Dorsey. The first two are descendants of Edward Darcy/Dorsey’s son John and the next three descendants of his son Edward. The results of the next four members of Lineage I is consistent with their (sometimes tentative) research conclusions that they are also descendants of Edward Darcy/Dorsey. DNA results from the final five participants place them in the same lineage as the first eight and suggest that they may share a common ancestor with Edward Darcy/Dorsey.

2. The DNA results coupled with known Irish origins of the last three participants and matches with a number of Irish surnames strongly suggest an Irish origin for Lineage I.

3. Y-chromosome DNA from Lineage I does NOT match Y chromosome DNA from proven descendants of Norman D’Arcy who was said to have come to England with William the Conqueror in 1066.[7]

Edward and Sarah had the following children:

1. William Cumming DORSEY. Born in 1776 in MD. William Cumming died in Somerset Co PA, on 23 Apr 1830. Buried in Dorsey Cemetery, Somerset Co PA. About 1800, he married Mary BLACK, daughter of James BLACK & Jane McDONOUGH, in Somerset Co PA. Born in 1779. Mary died in Somerset Co PA, on 31 Aug 1840. They had the following children:

i. James Black (1800-1865)

ii. David (1800-1880)

iii. Elizabeth (ca1800-)

iv. Edward (ca1803-1872)

v. William Cumming Jr (1804-1886)

vi. Jane (1808-1878)

vii. Henry (ca1810-ca1875)

viii. Cordelia (ca1817-1852)

ix. Lloyd (1813-1873)

x. Sarah (1814-1845)

xi. Lewis (1816-)

xii. (infant son) (Died as Infant) (1800-)

2. Deborah DORSEY. Born ca 1777. On 21 Oct 1797, she first married Hugh McELROY in Washington Co KY. Born ca 1774 in MD. They had the following children:

i. Sarah Cumming (ca1798-1834)

ii. Mary

iii. Esther

Before say 1813, Deborah second married John WELSH, who died before 1825.

They had the following children:

i. Susan Ann

ii. Pamelia Jane (1815-)

On 26 Mar 1826, she third married Jacob LARUE in Hardin Co KY. Born in 1776 in Frederick Co VA. Jacob died in Coles Co IL, in 1851.

3. Thomas DORSEY. Born in 1782. Thomas married Amelia GLOVER. They had the following children:

i. Sarah

ii. William Cumming

iii. Joshua

iv. Rachel

v. Mary Elizabeth

vi. John Cumming

4. Johnsey DORSEY. Born in 1784. On 17 Nov 1807, he married Rebecca SILVERS in Washington Co KY. They had the following children:

i. Sallie

ii. Lizzie

iii. Nancy

iv. Edward

v. Johnsa

vi. Greenberry (1833-)

5. Richard DORSEY. Born in 1785 in Frederick Co MD. Richard died in Washington Co KY, on 5 Jul 1833. On 10 Sep 1808, Richard married Lucy JEFFRIES in Springfield, Washington Co KY. Born ca 1789 in Fauquier Co VA. They had the following children:

i. Ann

ii. David C (1809-)

iii. Anderson James (1811-1893)

iv. William H (ca1813-)

v. Ruth J (1815-)

vi. Sarah C (1817-)

vii. Edward D (1819-)

viii. Catherine (ca1821-)

ix. Mary J (1823-)

x. Jonathan J (ca1827-)

xi. Lucy (1827-)

xii. Elizabeth Powell (1830-)

xiii. Richard (1832-)

6. Ann DORSEY. Born on 1 Aug 1793 in Frederick Co MD. Ann died in Hardin Co KY, on 18 Jul 1860. On 7 Oct 1809 when Ann was 16, she married John G GEOGHEGAN in Washington Co KY. Born on 6 Feb 1782 in Baltimore Co MD. John G died in Hardin Co KY, on 11 Jan 1854. They had the following children:

i. Thomas D (1810-)

ii. Ambrose Edward (1818-)

iii. Robert Denton (1821-)

iv. Denton (1824-)

v. John H (1827-)

vi. Sarah Elizabeth (ca1828-)

vii. Mary A (ca1831-)

viii. Ann Amelia (1832-)

ix. William S (1835-)

7. Robert DORSEY. Born in 1795 in Frederick Co MD. Robert died in 1845. On 20 Apr 1825, he married Phebe MYERS. They had the following children:

[2] “Table of the Descendants of William Cumming,” DAR Library. Letters from Montgomery Cumming to Allen Dorsey, 1903, 1904, in Genealogy and History of These Families: William Cumming, Dorsey, Black, Weisel by Edith L Burrell, Findlay OH. Miss Burrell states that Sarah Coppage was “of an old Eastern-shore MD family.”

[3]This is the same page in Frederick Co MD, alphabetized by initial letter, as “William Cummings,” Daniel, Elizabeth, Eli (of Edward), John and William (of Thomas) Dorsey. This entry—”Eli Dorsey,” 1/4/4/0/13—both fits our family and does not fit any other known Ely or Eli. The entries for two “Eli” Dorseys are consecutive. Other Ely Dorseys are in Anne Arundel Co MD.

[4] 1790 Frederick Co MD, names alphabetized, p 184, Edward Dorsey, 4/6/3/10 slaves, next to Basil Dorsey: 2/0/2/18 slaves. If this is our Edward, some of his brothers may have been with the family.

1790 Anne Arundel Co MD, p Edward Dorsey of John, 1/0/1/2 slaves; next to Henry Dorsey of Edward, 1/0/0/13 free/14 slaves. This was either the Edward, son of John, who marries Elizabeth Gillis, or possibly their son Edward, who would have been 30.

Hi Kathy! I wanted to comment on Augustus Dorsey. My grandmother is Blanche (Dorsey) Pryor. Her father was Henry (1852-1901) and her greatgrandfather was Lloyd (1810-1873). I don’t believe Augustus’s father was this Lloyd who married Margaret Frashure. My grandmother was very family oriented and loved to talk about her family. She never mentioned having an Uncle Augustus and I think that she would have. Without any documentation, I have to believe that Augustus is not related to us. If you ever find further evidence that he is, please contact me. Thank you. Pam Perdew

Dear Pam,
I have copies of a few pages from a notebook copied by Ruby Bowers Dorsey in 1957, stated to be from a compilation by Montgomery Cumming, 1905, but obviously brought up to date by Ruby Dorsey. I do not know how much she or someone else added to the original or who has possession of the notebook now. I assume you, two brothers and a sister were born before 1957, since your names are given on page 76c.
Page 75 of the notebook shows Augustus Dorsey as the only child of a first wife, no name given, prior to Lloyd Dorsey’s marriage to Margaret. I do not believe Augustus was close to his Dorsey relatives, so a half brother, undoubtedly legitimate, may have seen no need of telling the family about this additional “branch,” probably not legitimate.
Before receiving these pages, I felt more evidence was needed that my great-great-grandfather Augustus Dorsey’s father Lloyd—known from a marriage license—was indeed the man who was married to someone other than Augustus’s mother by 1850.
Augustus Dorsey served in a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment during the Civil War, fought at Gettysburg, was later captured and help at Andersonville Prison. After the end of the war, he moved first to Illinois, then Nebraska, then southern Kansas.
Lloyd’s other children and grandchildren may not have known about Augustus.
I would appreciate any information you may have about Ruby Bowers Dorsey or her notebook.
Kathy

I wonder if anyone knows of an Edward Dorsey of Anne Arundel Co., Md. who, in 1755, purchased a 1289 acre tract called “Resurvey of Miller’s Chance” on Fishing Creek in Frederick Co., Md. from Jacob Miller, son of Abraham Miller. It appears that an Edward Dorsey did live some in Frederick Co. The question that I have did he go on to Washington Co., Pa. I find an Edward Dorsey with a 1786 patent for land on Ten Mile Creek living next to my David Miller in Washington Co., Pa. Then we have an Edward Dorsey going on to Washington Co., Ky. where he died in 1824. Can anyone connect the dots for these three people named Edward Dorsey. I am really trying to determine if Edward Dorsey might have adopted my David Miller (his potential father was this aforementioned Abraham Miller who died 1754 in Frederick Co., Md.) and taken him to Washington Co., Pa.
Thanks for any help.
Art Miller, Louisville

Kathy,
I have been researching the Dorsey family of my grandmother. Her father was John or Johnsey Dorsey age 41, born in Marion County Ky 5/1859. In the 1900 Census from Pottsville, Washington County, Ky he was listed as JNO Dawsey along with his wife Bella Leachman and their children
Willie Age 12 born 01/1888
Tom Age 10 born 05/1890
Ben D Age 7 born 09/1892
Martha Age 5 born 02/1895

and a sister-in-law Sallie A Carrie born 7/1884 who resided in Indiana.

William Richard married Lucy Jane Webb and their children were Addie Lee, Isabelle, J.C. (Johnse C), Cleveland, and Woodrow.
Tom Harrison married Maggie L. Deering and their child was Margaret.
Ben or Benjamin married Sally Lou Hungate and their children were Ormsby and W.O.
Martha’s 1st marriage was to Leslie Reardon and their children were Mary Louise and James Leslie but Leslie died before he was born and she married his younger brother Lemual and their children were Carrie Marie, Hazel Attwood, Lula Belle, William Saul, Lemual Carroll and John Wesley.

In the KY death records 1911-2000 Johnsey died in Boyle County at age 62 on 12/14/1920 Volume 58–Certificate # 28959–Death Volume 1920.

I know this was his 2nd marriage because I found the marriage certificate at the Marion County courthouse.
I also think he may have been married to Lettie A Carrier and was married in Washington County, Ky on September 24, 1879 that is recorded in KY marriages 1851-1900.

I also found infomation at the Washington County courthouse where he deeded land to a Campbell and lived in Boyle County at the time Deed Book T Page 4 6/18/1853

In Deed Book 5 Page 272 he deeded land to a Hardin and Johnsey lived in Marion County. The deed had Johnsey Mary Sarsh and Edward listed along with a Jack Rearden from Washington County on 11/16/1849.

I have been trying to figure out who Johnsey’s parents were, my grandmother died a few years ago and my aunt can’t remember any of her family.

I have lots of info on the Reardon’s but am having a hard time connecting any of the Dorsey family history online to my family.

If you can shed any light on this at all it would be very helpful.
Thanks,
Alice

Alice,
Our common ancestor, I believe, is Edward Dorsey, who moved to Washington Co KY about or around 1797, with his wife Sarah Cumming and six of his seven children. When he died in 1825, his children signed documents. These included my William Cumming Dorsey, the oldest son, who married en route to Kentucky from Maryland and stayed in Somerset Co PA, two daughters and four sons. One of the sons had the unusual given name of Johnsey (or Johnsa, or Johnsie, etc.).

Dorsey to Kendrick: “This Indenture made this nineteenth day of February 1825 between William C Dorsey and Mary his wife Deborah Welch Robert Dorsey Thomas Dorsey and Amelia his wife Richard Dorsey and Lucy his wife heirs of Edward Dorsey deceased late of the county of Washington and State of Kentucky of the one part and John Kendrick of the other part whereby that the said heirs of the said Edward Dorsey deceased for and in consider[ation of] the sum of Two thousand four hundred and fifty five dollars ser[….] Current money to them in hand……”

I don’t see an original anywhere now, just this abstract, but I must have one somewhere.

Your ancestor seems, according to census records, to have been a grandson of Richard, the fourth son (the third oldest of those in Kentucky), the son of his son Richard [Jr]. In the 1860 census in Washington Co KY, he is living with his mother Lucy (Jeffries), widow
of Richard, and next door to his uncle Johnsey, and has a one-month-old son named Johnsey. Of course, relationships were not stated in the 1860 census. I hope you have access to Ancestry.com’s census images. This baby Johnsey is also in the Ancestry.com images of Kentucky death records 1852-1953, but mistakenly in Boyd County, not Boyle, so if you searched by counties, you wouldn’t find him.

His parents are identified as Johnsie Dorsey and Ella Ridge. I assume that Ella Ridge is the same as Richard’s second wife Mariah E, 19 in 1860, and not probably the mother of Richard’s six-year-old daughter. No one at Ancestry.com seems to have seen that mother’s maiden name, although some of the family trees identify the first wife as Rebecca Nalls.

Another Johnsey in the area was Johnsey Dorsey, born ca 1814, who married as her second husband, Mary Ellen Kimberlin; they apparently had no children.
Kathy

Has anyone come across an Edward Dorsey a freed slave at Bath Steuben who married Sarah Lane and had several children including Stephen, John, Edward and Daniel and who died at Bath in 1852. I believe his mother’s name was Katie and that he was owned for some time by Duguld Cameron and possibly Captain William Helm. Any information would be most welcome.
Tony Satchell, Melbourne, australia